Arizona's ballot initiative to turn voting into gambling sends citizens the wrong message about both. We should not frame democracy as a crapshoot, a high-stakes game that requires no effort or thought. The kind of voting we want to encourage -- voting that reflects the considered judgment of the governed -- requires work.

Each voter must research the candidates and initiatives and make decisions based on that research. This exertion is rarely worth the minuscule probability that one vote will affect the outcome, but the legitimacy of democracy depends on it. Random chance or "lucky numbers" used to select lottery tickets should not be employed at the ballot box.

Monetizing voting denigrates its worth. If each Arizona voter has a 1-in-2-million chance of winning, the financial value of each vote is 50 cents. Voting becomes a commodity cheaper than a cup of coffee, and voters are no longer virtuous citizens, but opportunists hoping to cash in. Although California law permits inducements to vote in nonfederal elections, federal law bans not only paying someone to vote for any particular candidate, but also paying someone to vote in federal elections at all. As my colleague, Loyola Law School professor Rick Hasen, has explained: "A half-dozen Yum-Yum doughnuts" -- a reward actually offered in one California community -- "does not send the same message to a voter as does a government law compelling all to vote." The doughnuts evoke narrow self-interest; "the law suggests moral authority or social consensus."

Further, we should not erect gambling as a civic virtue. Lotteries transfer wealth from lower-income people to higher-income business owners, casino operators or governments. Even if paid at minimum wage, people would be better off spending an extra half-hour working than playing the numbers. The prevalence of gambling among lower-income Americans -- the same people with low-voting turnout rates now -- suggests that a voting sweepstakes would send more of them to the polls, thereby equalizing the voting strength of all income groups. But cashing in on that statistic legitimizes gambling among those it hurts most.

The intentions behind the Arizona Voter Reward Act are worthy. We should devote more than rhetoric to promoting voting. What about turning the polls into one-stop application centers for government services, such as housing assistance, library cards, pet registration, and hunting and fishing licenses? If done right, the cost would be minimal. Nonprofit groups could solicit volunteers at the same location.

Each polling place, perhaps filled with American flags, music and concessionaires selling peanuts and popcorn, would become a Democracy Fair. The opportunity to enroll in government programs could bolster voting by lower-income Americans, a fitting reversal of the poll taxes and literacy tests of yesteryear. Gathering voters together by precinct might even foster a sense of community.

Or we could establish Civic Day, a day on which every American who is able is expected to vote and perform other civic activities, such as donating blood, cleaning parks or volunteering in schools or senior centers. Although moving elections would require amending the law, the Fourth of July would make an ideal Civic Day date. What better way to express patriotism than to vote and perform community service?

A different Arizona initiative would boost voting without bribery, copying a method used successfully in Oregon. Vote by Mail requires the state to send registered voters mail-in ballots with postage-paid return envelopes. While this would not broadcast the civics lesson of a Democracy Fair or a Civic Day, it would decrease the obvious costs of voting. People should not be paid to vote, but neither should they be required to pay in lost work time or child-care and transportation costs. Vote by Mail might even generate impromptu community gatherings on the postmark deadline for voting. As anyone who has visited a post office on April 15 knows, when Americans congregate to perform a public duty, we spontaneously support one another and have quite a bit of fun in the process.